Volunteer to count and survey unsheltered residents

Join a team of volunteers on an early weekday morning in mid-January to help survey people experiencing homelessness in Berkeley and Alameda County.

Starting at 5:00 am on Thursday January 22, you’ll help count individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness while also gathering specific data about their demographics and characteristics.

The count includes those sleeping outdoors in vehicles, tents or makeshift structures as well as those residing in shelters and transitional housing.

This information, which is collected every two years, helps guide homeless services, funding streams, and policy decisions across the region. In 2024, the count showed that Berkeley had a 45% decrease in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness—the largest drop for a city of our size in the Bay Area.

Help us understand the state of homelessness in Berkeley. Sign up for the Point-in-Time Count on January 22.

Register to volunteer

Sign up today to volunteer for the Alameda County Point-in-Time count.

Registration instructions:

• Choose Berkeley as your first-choice location when you register. You may be assigned to a neighboring area depending on need, so please select second and third choices where you would be willing to volunteer.
• Volunteering with friends or a group: Select “group” when prompted and have each volunteer list the same group name. You can also sign up as an individual and we will pair you with other volunteers.
• After registering, you will receive more information by email, including a required online training.

For questions or registration updates, please contact the Berkeley Lead, Josh Jacobs, at jjacobs@berkeleyca.gov.

If you can't make it on January 22, you can still support our unhoused neighbors by volunteering with local nonprofits like Dorothy Day House or Insight Housing.

What to expect on the day of the count

Please bring:

• smartphone
• flashlight
• warm clothes
• comfortable shoes

You will walk a specific census tract with a team and invite people to participate in a brief survey. If they agree, you’ll ask them a set of questions about their demographic information, housing and health history, and other questions that will help us better tailor services.

Volunteers are expected to listen with compassion, respect, and without judgement. In doing so, you’ll help us gather critical data that informs resources, funding, and services for our unhoused neighbors.

Compassionate, coordinated response to homelessness

Berkeley takes a three-pronged approach to reducing homelessness:

1. Prevent homelessness before it happens by helping residents avoid eviction. Rental assistance and eviction defense funds help people stay housed.
2. Increase and improve interim housing to move people off sidewalks and into the safety and dignity of their own personal unit. Thanks to voter-approved measures O, P, and U1, Berkeley has been able to open more than 10 new facilities with over 700 interim housing beds.
3. Increase permanent affordable housing to provide long-term stability. Funding from Measure O will create over 1,000 units of affordable housing, with over 300 completed already.

The Homelessness Response Team leads outreach with compassion. The 3-person staff build personal relationships with clients, often working with them for years. Shelter or housing can be offered, but ultimately it is an individual’s choice to accept.

One metric for this work can be found in the most recent count, which showed a 45% decrease in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Berkeley.

Join a compassionate community of volunteers to connect with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Register for the Alameda County Point-in-Time Count on January 22.

Links

• Register: Jan. 22 Alameda County Point-in-Time Count
• Berkeley’s Response to Homelessness: the Story of the City’s Success (2024)
• Volunteer opportunities: Dorothy Day House, Insight Housing
• Point in Time Report 2024 (Alameda County)